1139 minutes! How defiant Sonal Dinusha denied India a 2-0 series sweep
Sri Lankan cricketer Sonal Dinusha played a historic, time-consuming innings to deny India a series sweep in their recent Test matches. His tactical use of the sweep shot and defensive patience were instrumental in securing a draw.
Why it matters
It documents a significant individual performance in international cricket that impacted the outcome of a high-stakes series.
TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: 1139 minutes, 722 balls, 420 runs and three hundreds. Over the last two weeks, Sonal Dinusha accumulated staggering numbers, but the time he spent at the crease will stand the test of time. It was the major reason why Sri Lanka lived to fight on Day 5 in Galle and Colombo against India. Before diving into his heroics, it's important to note his entry points in the four innings against India to add much-needed context.90/4 and 47/4 in the first Test, followed by 122/4 and 209/4 in the second. While the scorecard makes for comfortable reading in the final essay in Colombo, the situation there was the trickiest. Sri Lanka needed to play for time — a lot of it. Two quick wickets in the next few overs meant the 25-year-old was left with just the bowlers for company.
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